Tag - 000 in the first quarter of this year. The figure is a 57.1 percent increase from the same period a year earlier

The number of South Koreans who have been jobless for six months or more reached 112,000 in the first quarter of this year.
The figure is a 57.1 percent increase from the same period a year earlier, and is higher than the 47 percent tallied in the fourth quarter of 2014, according to Statistics Korea data.
The agency attributed the rise to seasonal factors, but economists say it is due to the prolonged economic slump.
Consequently, companies are more reticent to hire. [...]